Ensalada de Nochebuena (Mexican Christmas Salad)

Traditionally served on Christmas Eve with tamales, beans, & rice.



Ingredients:
2 medium-sized Limes
1 cup of Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of Sugar
2 tablespoons of Milk
1 small head of Iceberg or Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 medium sized Pineapple, sliced or 1 (20 oz.) can sliced Pineapple, drained
3 medium-sized Oranges, peeled & thinly sliced
3 small Bananas, peeled & sliced
2 small Red Delicious apples, cored & cut into thin wedges
¼ pound Jicama or additional Red Apple
1 16 ounce can of sliced Beets, drained
¼ cup Pomegranate seeds
½ cup of Peanuts

Prepare dressing: Grate 1 tablespoon peel and squeeze ¼ cup juice from limes. In small bowl, mix lime juice, 2 teaspoons lime peel, mayonnaise, sugar and milk. Sprinkle remaining peel on top of dressing. Place bowl with dressing on large platter. Line platter with sliced lettuce. On lettuce, arrange in separate piles of pineapple, oranges, bananas, apples and beets. Sprinkle peanuts over fruit. Serve salad with dressing.

Turkey Mole w/ Sweet Potatoes

This Turkey Mole recipe has just the right mixture of sweet and spicy and is easy to make with your turkey leftovers. You can make the mole from scratch but why would you? On the day after Thanksgiving haven't you cooked enough?!

INGREDIENTS
4 turkey thighs, skinned
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 box (about 17 ounces) mole cooking sauce or 1/4 cup mole paste dissolved in 2 cups water
1 cup salsa, any heat level
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the turkey on both sides. Remove to a plate. Add the onion and cook until it loses its raw look. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to cook until the onion and potatoes begin to brown. Add the mole, salsa, and water and heat to boiling. Reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers. Return the turkey to the pan, along with the juices that have collected on the plate. Cover and simmer until the turkey and potatoes are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Stir in the cilantro before serving.
Makes 4 servings

Steak and Mango Salad

Now here's a super tasty salad that will please a man and a woman and will satisfy those pretending to be on a diet! Recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites.


Ingredients
1 lb flank steak
1 head romaine or red leaf lettuce
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 mangoes, sliced
1 or 2 avocados, sliced
1/2 cp chopped cilantro
1/2 cp carmelized macadamia nuts

Dressing & Marinade
1/2 cp fresh squeezed orange juice
6 tsp fresh lime juice
6 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cp olive oil
1/2 cp canola oil

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the oils until combined. Reserve about 3/4 C* and place the rest of the mixture in a zip-lock bag.

Lightly score the flank steak in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Place steak in the zip-lock bag with marinade and leave in fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove steak from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking and leave at room temperature. You'll want to let the dressing portion to sit at room temp during this time as well. Heat outdoor grill to med-high heat. If an outdoor grill is not available, use the broiler, or an indoor grill pan. Remove steak from bag and let any excess marinade drip off. Sprinkle steak lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until done. In order to stay tender, flank steak should still be pink in the middle, but nicely seared on the outside. When done, remove from grill and wait at least 5 minutes before cutting to let the juices redistribute. Then slice into thin slices.

Now comes the assembly. Divide lettuce onto plates and top with slices of mango, avocado, and red onion. I purposely chose these toppings not only for the perfect blend of flavors and textures, but for the gorgeous color combination- we eat with our eyes first!

Add steak slices and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle macadamia nuts and cilantro on top.

Makes 4-6 large dinner salads or 6-8 smaller side salads

Darlene's Tips:
Let steak sit for 5 minutes after cooking with out slicing so juices settle in.

Substitute macadamia nuts with pecans, walnuts or almonds

Carmelize nuts with a mixture of brown sugar and butter heated on stove-top until liquified.

Add or substitute chicken or prawns


¡Buen Provecho!

Strawberry French Toast

Surprise your sweatheart with a romantic breakfast! Set a fancy table with table cloth, candles and roses and stir up some Mimosas to celebrate Valentine's Day with your loved one.

Ingredients
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash nutmeg
8 slices French bread
or Bolillos

Fresh sliced strawberries
2 tsp sugar or honey
Lemon juice
Powdered sugar

Directions:
In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and egg white until foamy. Whisk in milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Have warming drawer heated or heat oven to 200°.
Heat butter in heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Dip 4 slices of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat thoroughly. Let excess drip back into bowl.

Place coated bread slices in hot skillet. Cook, turning, until both sides are nicely browned, about 2 minutes each side.

Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining bread and egg mixture.

Mix sliced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice together. Arrange French Toast on plate and place serving of strawberries on top, sprinkle with powedered sugar. If desired sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and warm maple syrup.

Darlene's Tips:
Old bread works better so your french toast won't be soggy.
Go to the bakery and purchase a loaf of white bread sliced thick.
Substitute peaches, bananas, rasberries or other favorite fruit.
Warm butter and syrup together in microwave prior to serving.

¡Buen Provecho!